


Good Knight, Sweet Prince

by MyUncreativeUserSorry



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Bad Puns, Bisexual Keefe Sencen, Demiromantic Dex Dizznee, Dex Deserves Love, Elwin is Keefe's dad, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Keefe Deserves Love, Keefe is head over heels, Keefe loves Dex, M/M, Team Valient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27149539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyUncreativeUserSorry/pseuds/MyUncreativeUserSorry
Summary: For @/ultralazycreatorfan on tumblrDex is having a bad day, so Keefe takes it upon himself to make everything better
Relationships: Dex Dizznee/Keefe Sencen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Good Knight, Sweet Prince

Dex is in a bad mood.

They’ve only been at lunch for 10 minutes but Keefe can tell. He hasn’t spoken to anyone, he’s barely looked at anyone. No one else seems perturbed by it, they probably don’t even notice; too engrossed in their own conversations. Keefe is certain that it isn’t making Dex feel any better, because he can guess pretty easily what his problem is.

The food on his plate remains untouched for the entire period, he’s too busy watching Dex to eat. If Dex notices the scrutiny he doesn’t show it, he only watches the wall.

He doesn’t react when Keefe tugs him into an empty closet after the bell chimes and all of the other students exit. He simply looks at Keefe tiredly, it only serves to strengthen his resolve.

“What do you say we get out of here?” Keefe offers, same as he has a dozen times before. There’s the softest tilt to Dex’s lips. Some days he’ll make a joke, but today all he can manage is:

“Please.”

Keefe grins, still loosely holding Dex’s wrist. “Your wish is my command.”

Sneaking out of Foxfire isn’t hard. They’re being tracked, of course, so they’ll have detention tomorrow. All it takes is dodging a few patrolling teachers until they’re home free.

“Where to?” Keefe asks once they’re past the borders of Foxfires grounds.

“Atlantis?” Dex offers with a shrug, and Keefe hears the message loud and clear: Distract me.

“Awesome.”

Getting to Atlantis takes no time at all, and as soon as they arrive they’re subjected to odd looks. It is the middle of a school day after all, and they’re in uniform.

“I’ve been wanting to get some new gear.” Dex muses slowly, already there’s a little light returning to him. Keefe doesn’t know whether he means Alchemy gear or tech gear, but he doesn’t care.

“Lead the way!” He says, and Dex smiles. Just the faintest upturn of his lips, but it’s a good start.

‘Gear’ turns out to be alchemy gear. Keefe figures that the Dizznee’s probably have more than enough of that already, but he doesn’t comment.

Dex drags him through the store, silent. Keefe can feel the suppressed excitement that bubbles beneath his skin through their enjoined hands.

“What does this thing do?” He asks, pointing to something that looks suspiciously like a torture device. Dex turns to look, then he talks.

There is a few things that Keefe has learned over their months of friendship, and one of those things is that Dex will never shut up if he has someone who genuinely listens to him. No matter how often it happens, Keefe can’t help but feel it’s not often enough. He doesn’t know who else Dex has that will listen to him, his parents probably, but that’s all he can think of.

He lets Dex lead him between racks and displays, pointing things out and either praising them or ridiculing them.

“This is last year’s model! They’re advertising it wrong.”

“My dad brought one of these home the other day and it _exploded_ as soon as we tried it out. It was wicked.”

“I got this a few weeks ago, it really only works if you bash it against the table a couple times first.”

They don’t end up buying anything, they actually get kicked out. Something about being ‘disruptive’ and ‘knocking over displays,’ as if they’d done it on purpose!

“We should get food.” Keefe decides once they’re on the street again.

“We already had lunch.” Dex reminds him, before sticking his tongue out at the shop window.

“We had lunch _time_.” Keefe corrects. “Neither of us ate though. Mysterium probably has some good vendors out right now!”

Now it’s Keefe pulling Dex through the streets, and Dex follows willingly. Not that Keefe ever doubted he would, no matter if he admitted it or not Keefe knows Dex well. Well enough that he’s aware of how little Dex eats when he’s upset. If Keefe had to bet, he’d say it’s been since dinner the previous night. 

Mysterium is much less packed then Atlantis, a few food carts are propped up for the workers who are just coming off for their breaks. 

“We can have a picnic,” Dex says as they survey the different vendors, trying to find one that they’ll both enjoy.

“You bet we’re having a picnic!” Keefe whoops, earning a couple of weird looks. It’s worth it to see Dex’s smile, a half-smile but a smile nonetheless.

They decide on a meal eventually, and veer off of Mysteriums path, heading towards the vast, undeveloped space just beyond the town. Just hills and trees and bushes and flowers, the perfect place to find somewhere to set up a picnic. 

They don’t wander for too long, not wanting their food to get cold. It’s not the first time they’ve done this either, yet no matter how hard they try they can never find the same place twice. 

“This look good?” Keefe questions as they come to a small clearing, near the center stands a large tree. What kind? He doesn’t know. Dex nods.

They settled beneath it, laying their capes on the dirt in order to create something akin to a picnic blanket. Right now all that matters is him and Dex. Their shoulders pressed together, the bark digging into their backs.

It’s relatively silent while they eat, Keefe cracks the odd joke just to see if he can bring that smile back. Even just for a fleeting second.

Keefe finishes first, wiping his hands on the grass.

“I’m going to find the pond!” He declares, Dex sighs.

“No, you’re not.” 

“Today is the day! I can feel it.” Keefe defends.

“You say that every single time.” Dex reminds him, Keefe shrugs. “You know it would be easier if you just went to Havenfield. There’s a few deer there.”

Keefe gasps in mock offense. “I am not just trying to find the deer again.” Dex levels him with an unimpressed look, but the corners of his mouth are upturned slightly, Keefe counts it as a win. 

Only a few weeks ago, they’d been on an outing just like this one, and they’d come across a ravine. It was relatively shallow and bordered by all kinds of flora.

They’d stayed there for a while, just joking around, eventually, they’d lay down in the grass to rest, simply taking in nature. As their silence stretched on, a curious head poked out of the thick underbrush. A doe. It walked nearly entirely out into the open before spotting the boys and bolting.

“You want to ride the deer.” Dex summarizes, “Which will never happen, they’re far too skittish.”

“So is Glitterbutt, and she loves me,” Keefe argues, pulling himself to his feet. Dex hums noncommittally.

“Fine, I’m tagging along though. So I can laugh when you fail.” He holds up his hands, indicating for Keefe to help him up. 

Keefe obliges, “No, you’re going to cry when I succeed.”

Dex rolls his eyes but doesn’t say much more on the matter as they trek through the woods. Keefe talks enough for them both, chattering on about plants while Dex listens attentively.

“You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t start watching where you’re going.” Dex remarks after a quick hand saves Keefe from a nasty fall, for the 4th time.

“Nah, that’s why you’re here.” He smiles and blinks at the redhead, doe-eyed. “My knight in shining armor.”

“I thought I was here so you can cheer me up,” Dex retorts. 

Keefe side-eyes him with practiced disinterest, “Does this mean you want to tell me what made you so upset?” He leaves careful room for Dex to back out if he so chooses. Some days, talking helps. Other days it does anything but.

Dex shrugs, “Team Valiant Meeting.”

Ah, yes. Team Valiant. Keefe doesn’t know a whole lot about it, all he knows is that he’s not allowed to be a part of it. Not that he minds, of course. He quietly enjoys the break from responsibility.

With a hard kick, Dex sends a stone flying through the trees.

“I don’t even know why they bother inviting me. It’s not as if I get a say in anything.” He huffs, his tone is restrained but when Keefe gives him a reassuring bump with his shoulder, all he can feel is dejected frustration. “She listened to Stina more than she listened to me!”

Keefe gets the idea that his frustration isn’t directed as much towards the team as a whole, and more towards one specific person.

“Sure, Stina has some great ideas! But she’s been a part of our group for what, a month?” Dex and Stina can almost be considered friends, following a number of apologies on both sides, and yet Keefe can see that Dex is still hesitant to allow her into the group.

He knows it’s more fear of being replaced then animosity towards her, and all he wants to do is alleviate that fear. For Dex’s own sake.

“They’ll use your ideas soon enough,” Keefe assures “Council knows you’re the only one of us with any planning ability.”

Dex hums noncommittally, stepping on a branch that rings out with a loud ‘SNAP.’

“I just- I want to be listened to without it being the only option, you know?”

Keefe can’t help the trickle of guilt he feels at that. He’s nowhere near innocent in this regard, and he wishes he could do more to make any sort of change. There’s not much he can do, really. Short of just yelling at everyone until they get the point, or at least giving everyone a very stern talking-to. Dex has made it abundantly clear that it’s not what he wants though. He doesn’t want people to be forced into being his friend or acting like it. Keefe can respect that.

“If it’s any consolation, you’re always my first choice,” Keefe says, risking a look in his friend’s direction. His face feels unnecessarily warm.

Dex smiles at him, it’s soft and not at all sad. “I guess I can live with that,” he allows.

The only thing Keefe can do is lead by example, and if the example is ‘appreciating Dex’ it sure won’t be a challenge.

“Good, because you’re stuck with me either way,” Keefe says with a decisive nod.

“Whatever shall I do.” drawls Dex, but his smile has yet to disappear.

“Help me find the ravine, that’s what you’ll do.” Keefe grins cheekily, before grabbing Dex’s hand and pulling him through the underbrush.

He can hear Dex’s boisterous laugh behind him and he turns just in time to catch the final seconds of unbridled glee that paints his features.

“Watch out!” Dex yelps, pulling Keefe from his trance just in time to weave around the trunk of a tree.

“See! Knight in shining armour.” Keefe calls back. Sure, he doesn’t look the part. The younger boy’s hair is a mess and his cape flaps behind them, stained with grass and dirt. His school uniform is rumpled, much like Keefe’s own, yet Keefe doesn’t even have to look to know Dex pulls it off better.

He does look though. When it won’t cause him to barrel into things. Keefe steals glances, Dex notices of course, and offers him a small smile each time.

There’s something so special about the way Dex holds himself that just makes it appear _different_. When Keefe is rumpled it looks purposeful, rebellious. Like it’s a decision he made in order to put this idea of who he is out into the world. Every wrinkle is just as precise and careful as the starched lines to the Vackers uniforms.

With Dex, it’s the opposite. When he’s rumpled it looks like an extension of himself, like it’s done just by messing around and being excited. Dex looks carefree and untethered. Happy. So very, very alive.

After the 4th close call, Dex pulls them to a stop. They still haven’t made it to the ravine, now they’re somewhere completely unfamiliar.

“I’m not going to let you concuss us both.” Dex pants, finally letting Keefe’s hand drop. Keefe could say that he’d completely forgotten they were even holding hands, but that would be a lie.

“You’re no fun.” Keefe pouts, but he’s silently glad Dex stopped him. He’s got no idea where they are and he probably would have kept running forever if it meant holding Dex’s hand.

“I’m great fun!” Dex defends. “I can be both fun and careful.” Keefe gives him a nudge,

“Alright, Mr. Careful, whatever you say.” Dex just sticks his tongue out at him.

“We’ve got to be getting close to the ravine, right?” Keefe says after a few minutes longer. Their breathing has evened out and they’ve wandered farther in a random direction.

“This place is huge Keefe. There’s no way we’ll just stumble across it.” Dex sighs, slapping another branch away from his face.

In complete honesty, he doesn’t actually care about the river or the deer. He just needed an excuse to get Dex away, spend time with him alone. Yet this fake quest was beginning to turn into more trouble than it was worse. 

“We should just head back, it must be getting late.” Keefe decides dejectedly. It’s hard to tell because of the canopy of leaves blotting out most of the sky, but the light on the forest floor seems to be much dimmer than it had been earlier.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and if confronted by Dex’s reassuring smile.

“We’ll find it one day.”

It should sound like another childish placation, like all the others he’s heard throughout his life. The kind that he hears whenever he comes up with another impossible idea. It doesn’t though, it’s sincere, it always is with Dex.

  
Flustered and caught off guard, Keefe looks away. “Do you have any idea which way we came?”

He knows of course, but he needs a second to pull himself together. Dex shrugs,“‘Course, this way.” The direction he points is far left of the way they’d come, Keefe is about to say as much when Dex begins walking in that very direction and promptly disappears. 

All Keefe hears is a cut off yelp, and he scrambles after him.

On the other side of the bushes, he finds a slope, just steep enough to catch someone off guard. It’s not a long way down and he can see Dex at the bottom.

“You alright?” He calls, hurrying down. His feet catch on loose dirt and stones but he manages to remain upright, even with his feet tilted.

Dex was obviously not so lucky. On the ground with dirt on his uniform and leaves in his hair. He looks up at Keefe with a watery grin,

“Oops.”

“So much for being careful.” Keefe remarks as he surveys the damage. At first glance, Dex seems disheveled yet unharmed. That is until he notices the way he’s clutching just above his ankle. Keefe crouches, “Are you hurt?” He tries to keep the worry from his voice.

Dex appears to try and move, wincing. “I think I broke it.” He relays through gritted teeth.

Keefe curses, “We need Elwin.” 

Dex chuckles, “You think?” He shifts slightly in order to pull his imparter from his pocket carefully. He taps the screen once, twice, then frowns. “It’s broken.”

“Seriously?” Keefe groans, “You can fix it, right?”

Dex responds by flipping it around to show the screen and- oh. Yeah. No fixing that, it’s shattered.

“Do you have yours?” He asks, slipping it back into his pocket. 

Keefe checks, slapping his front and back pockets to see if he can feel it. It just proves what he already knew,  
  
“Left it at home.”

This leaves them in quite the predicament. Stuck in the middle of the woods, injured, and unable to call for help, fantastic. All he’d wanted to do was give Dex a good day, and now look at them!

They both rummage through their pockets, a last-ditch attempt to come up with any sort of solution. Keefe’s finger grazes against something in his pocket and lets out a sound of triumph.

“I’ve got my home crystal!” 

Their excitement is short-lived, however, diminished by the discovery of just how late it’s gotten. The trees are far too thick to let enough of fading light through.

“We have to find a clearing,” Keefe realizes, “Can you walk?”

Dex makes a face and tries to move his leg. All he manages is a sharp hiss, he shakes his head.

Keefe taps his hand rapidly on his knee for a moment, before springing to his feet.

“I’ll carry you.”

Dex blinks up at him, 

“Pardon?”

“I mean, you aren’t that heavy and I doubt it will be for long.” The initial excitement from his great idea is rapidly being replaced by embarrassment for his eagerness.

“ _That_ heavy?” Dex repeats, raising an eyebrow, Keefe flushes even redder.

“Shut up,” he grouses, Dex snickers. “Do you have a better idea?”

Dex shakes his head, “I think it’s our best bet if you’re sure you’re okay with it.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t,” Keefe assures, crouching more strategically so as to carefully balance himself. “You ready?”

With a nod, they begin. It’s incredibly awkward and Keefe keeps mumbling apologies as he accidentally jostles the other boy. Dex remains mostly silent during the whole ordeal, barring the occasional strained exhale.

Finally, they’ve got it together.

“You know, if you told me I was going to end today princess carrying you, I would have laughed.” Dex sits stiffly in his arms, one of which is looped under his knees and the other behind his shoulders.

“Well I am the prettiest princess, it’s nothing less than what I deserve.” Dex grins, Keefe only catches his wink in his peripheral, but it’s enough to make his cheeks blush red. Or, it would have been, if they weren’t already burned crimson from the proximity.

“Of course, I’m a fool!” Keefe laments dramatically, or as dramatically as he can manage. It’s rather deadpan in reality since the majority of his concentration is directed towards the task at hand (and very much NOT focused on Dex leaning into his chest, or the way his hair tickles Keefe’s collarbone-) The forest floor is littered with roots and stones, and even though Keefe didn’t even bother trying to climb back up the hill, staying steady is no easy feat.

There are a million easier ways they could have done this, a piggyback ride even. Keefe knows exactly why he’d chosen this way though, and he’s unspeakably glad that the shadows from the trees are probably (hopefully) hiding the worst of his blush. Dex, comparatively, is serene in his arms. There’s a fair amount of discomfort that Keefe can feel as well, but it’s hard to pick out which emotions are Dex’s and which are his own. He’s not used to Dex, or anyone really, being so close to him.

“Do you think Elwin knows that we skipped?” Dex muses when the silence begins to grow as oppressive as the growing shadows.

“Well, if he doesn’t yet, it’ll be easy to tell.” Keefe points out, carefully stepping over an uneven stone.

Dex looks down at his own dusty uniform, “Yeah, fair point.”

Keefe doesn’t think Elwin will be disappointed or mad, he’d already hailed him to let him know he would be staying with Dex that night, or would at least be out late. He just hopes his dad won’t ask too many questions, Dex never asks Keefe why exactly he cares so much so he feels happy. The redhead just seems pleased with the knowledge that someone cares about him. The last time someone asked him ‘why’ when it came to Dex Dizznee, the best he’d managed was something nonsensical and a brilliantly red blush. Thankfully Dex hadn’t been around that time, but Keefe doesn’t want to try his luck.

It doesn’t take them too long to find a clearing, though it’s long enough that Keefe can feel a dull ache growing in his arms.

“We need to be quick, there won’t be light for much longer,” Keefe says, 

“Where’s the crystal? I’ll open the path,” Dex offers, Keefe thinks back.

“Oh,” He remembers, “It’s in my pocket.”

Well, that’s just fantastic, both of his pockets are blocked by Dex’s body. Even if they weren’t, he doesn’t have a free hand.

“You could put me down?” Dex offers, Keefe doesn’t doubt that Dex could prop himself up on one leg and let the hurt one rest, but he also doesn’t want to risk it.

“No- just,” right, here goes nothing, “can you hold yourself up for a second?” he proposes, “Just hold onto my shoulders or something.”

Dex worries his lip for a moment before shrugging.

‘Grab my shoulder’ seems to translate to ‘wrap your arms around my neck’ in Dex-speak because Keefe’s face is suddenly far closer to Dex’s then he’d expected.

For a moment Keefe doesn’t dare to breathe, heat rises from where bare arms touch the skin of his neck and he can’t remember the last time his face felt so ablaze. All he can do is stare dazedly into Dex’s eyes, which seem so much more vibrant this close.

“The crystal?” Dex prompts questioningly, and Keefe is rudely pulled from his trance. He replies with some garbled mess that might have been ‘Oh yeah’ and then digs into his pocket.

Despite how off-kilter he feels, it’s not too much of a struggle to grab hold of the crystal.

“Uh, here.” He holds it up near Dex’s head. Which is close. So close. So, so close.

Dex releases one arm in order to grab the item, distantly Keefe registers that he could have just opened the path himself. That part of his is drowned out by the hyper-awareness of every single place their fingers brush during the exchange.

“There we go!” Dex cheers as the pathway appears, “Home free.” He turns to Keefe with a grin brighter than any beam.

“You know, I wanted to go for a ride on the deer, but I ended up giving you one instead. That’s kind of hilarious.” It’s unprompted and inelegant. 

Dex laughs,

“Life is full of surprises.” They step into the light.

—-

It’s barely a half-hour before Elwin fixes Dex up good as new, and he’s given the all-clear. The physician only makes one joke about their escapade and how he’s going to end up needing a picture of all of them up in the Healing Center at this rate.

After it’s all said and done, they head to Rimeshire for the night. The triplets are already in bed when they arrive, and once Kesler and Juline are finished fussing over their boy, the two of them are left to their own devices.

Dex loves the stars, he always has. They’re something so vast and innumerable, and they all make up one incredible picture. Even though some are brighter than others, and some only show up at certain times, it’s still the same tapestry they paint.

“I’m sorry.”

Dex looks back down, away from the stars above him to the one that sits at his side.

“For today, I mean. I’m sorry that it got all messed up.”

Keefe isn’t looking at him, instead the roof beneath them, 

“It wasn’t your fault,” Dex frowns, “and it wasn’t messed up either.”

Keefe taps desolately against the crystal, “It was though, all I wanted to do was make you feel better, and you got hurt.”

No matter how many times he hears Keefe say them, Dex will never be used to those words. The idea that he cares enough- but no, this isn’t what he’s meant to be focusing on.

“I wanted you to ask me to sneak away,” Dex tells him because it’s the only thing that he can think of that might help Keefe a fraction of the way Keefe has helped him. “All day, I was just waiting for you to ask.”

Keefe finally looks at him, eyes icy and shining with something large and unreadable.

“It was the only reason I even showed up,” He admits with an awkward half-laugh. “I don’t care that I got hurt, I’m already better!” he wiggles his foot to prove his point. “All I care about is knowing that you care.”

The admittance slips out unwanted but needed. Dex doesn’t know why he feels the way that he does when Keefe remembers something about him, or notices something new about him. He only knows that he can’t help it.

“Really?” Keefe sounds vulnerable, surprised. 

Dex nods, 

“Really really.”

Keefe seems to be taking this in slowly, so Dex adds “If you stop dragging me around, I’ll be dreadfully sad.”

Keefe smiles, a soft, delicate thing.

“I won’t stop then, but from now on we only go to safe places. Like a pillow museum or something,” he swears. Already he’s melting back into that Keefe who Dex misses. The happy, caring, somewhat broken but oh-so-wonderful friend.

  
“Mh, sure.” Dex agrees, “I don’t think they have deer in pillow museums though.”  
He teases, laughter ringing out as Keefes tongue pokes out in mature retaliation.

It’s easy after that. Time with Keefe is easy. Whether it’s when he’s helping Dex escape, or it’s Dex leading the adventure. There’s no expectation or what-if. Just them and their foolish, wonderful shenanigans.

They have to go down into the house eventually, bleary and gleeful. 

“Come on, it’s not that big a deal.” Dex groans as Keefe continues on about his epic deeds, guilt long forgotten.

“Sure it was. In fact, I think I deserve to have the title of ‘Knight in Shining Armor.’ It’s mine now.”

Dex scoffs good-naturedly as they make their way upstairs to his room.

“You’re joking. You carried me _once_ ,” he argues. “How many times did I save you from becoming one with the woods? Ten? More?”

Keefe waves him off. “Yeah, but anyone can do that. I actually carried you, like the fantastically hunky, strong knight that I am.”

He flexes theatrically to prove his point, Dex rolls his eyes. He doesn’t miss the sprinkling of pink across his nose. He thinks it’s adorable that Keefe can be embarrassed and pompous all at once.

“That’s not hard, I can totally carry you,” Dex says as they finally come to the door, Keefe clicks his tongue.

“Yeah, don’t think so. You’re like, a toothpick.”

He’s not wrong, but Dex thinks it’s an unfair assumption. Sure, he’s ‘lanky,’ he’s got a lot of limb. He’s pretty scrawny compared to all the other guys, or the rest of their friends to be honest, but he’s not a baby.

“What are you doing?” Keefe questions as Dex turns abruptly towards him in the hallway. He trails off into an undignified squeak as Dex grabs him and hefts him up.

Instinctively Keefe’s legs wrap around Dex’s waist and his hands find the redheads shoulders to steady himself.

“You were saying?” Dex challenges, readjusting his hands that are hooked under Keefe’s thighs.

“Uh-” is all he gets in response. Keefe is stiff against him, he looks just like he had in the woods when Dex got close. Crimson and shocked still.

The look in his eyes is so intense that Dex wonders if he’s pushed too far, and he feels as though he should look away.

“I wish you would stop sometimes.”

Panic wells in Dex’s throat at the words, trying to decipher the meaning. Stop challenging him? Stop bothering him? Stop being?

“I can barely stand it when you just- do things like this, and you don’t even realize it.”

Dex scrambles for an interpretation, Keefe doesn’t sound mad. He sounds forlorn, pleading, longing, _sad_.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say.” He manages quietly, stuck in the emotion swimming in Keefe’s eyes. He’s never had to look up to see them in over a year, always those few inches taller. It’s a dizzying contrast.

There’s silence for a moment, and a crooked, sad smile. Keefe’s eyes drift lazily down, his hands tight and present on Dex’s shoulders.

_Oh._

It clicks all at once. Keefe’s gaze rests on Dex’s lips and it all makes sense.

He’s never noticed- never realized- never thought-

This sort of thing isn’t Dex’s area. People, feelings, he barely understands his own. How could he have noticed?

It’s not as if he’s never watched Keefe’s smile, his eyes, his frown, his laugh, his gestures, his hobbies- his everything.

Perhaps he should have noticed because it’s blatantly obvious now. Somewhere along the line it had changed from liking to _liking_ , appreciating to needing.

“I-” he tries as his mind runs through memory after memory, realization after realization.

“It’s okay,” Keefe starts, and Dex may be reeling but he knows that tone, the one where he’s starting to apologize. To change for someone’s comfort, to lose that littlest bit of himself.

“No- just, give me one second. Okay?” Dex interrupts before he can continue. Keefe’s mouth clamps shut on the remark, and he watches. Dex knows he’s watching, but he really needs a second to think.

He’s never really felt like this before, attraction, it’s another one of those things he doesn’t really know. Or, well, he didn’t think he did, yet here he is.

Dex refocuses, Keefe’s eyes widen a fraction when he finally looks back at him.

“You like me.” He states and Keefe looks sheepish.

He opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again to say something different. “Yeah, I do. I really do.” He shrugs helplessly, “How could I not?”

Dex takes this in, processes it. “Okay,” He breathes slowly. Keefe gives him time to think, waits patiently for his next words. “Okay. I like you, too.”

Now that it’s out in the open, it makes even more sense. It’s not a revelation any longer, simply a fact.

Keefe gapes back at him,

“You do?” he murmurs disbelievingly, Dex offers him a smile, and it’s Keefe who needs a moment, though his is less intense, more bewildered.

It sharpens after only a moment, and he’s back.

“I don’t even know why you’re surprised. You’re always on about how irresistible you know. Or are you all talk?” Dex teases because even now if it’s changed, it’s still Keefe. It’s still easy.

Keefe grins, “Yeah, well, you can be pretty stubborn.”

Dex can’t help but laugh.

“That’s no way to talk to your-” He pauses, unsure of what to say next. Usually, he’d say ‘friend.’ That doesn’t feel right though, doesn’t quite cover it all.

Keefe regards him carefully, then smirks, arms relaxing to drape lightly over Dex’s shoulders instead of clinging to them.

“You can say boyfriend. If you’d like.”

Dex isn’t usually one to blush, but he can’t help it. “Alright, you’re a mean boyfriend.” he jokes, and Keefe gasps with mock offense.

“Well now, that’s no way to talk to your boyfriend!” They’re both struggling to hold back laughter. There’s a faint ache in Dex’s muscles but he doesn’t mind, because close can never be quite close enough.

“Maybe we should just stop talking then.” He doesn’t _mean_ to insinuate anything, but Keefe immediately looks down once more, then back up again.

“I can think of something else we can try.”

Dex can tell he’s nervous, so he doesn’t beat around the bush. “Go ahead.” 

That’s all the prompting he needs because his hands come up to cup Dex’s jaw.

It’s not Dex’s first kiss, he may have never been attracted to anyone but there’s a good number of people who’d wanted some unattached kissing practice. He hadn’t minded, he’d never even understood why it was such a big deal.

Up until right now.

This is easily the best, it’s still a little awkward, and they take a moment to find the right angle, but by the second try, Dex has decided he’s willing to practice with Keefe as much as possible. He’s going to be a pro at kissing Keefe if it kills him. And right now? With him so close? It just might.

“I have to put you down.” He mumbles against Keefe’s mouth, and Keefe reluctantly pulls away. Only after stealing one last kiss of course.

The blonde stumbles as he touches down, Dex can’t blame him. He feels dizzy as well, but he steadies the shorter boy with an arm around his waist.

“Careful, don’t want you to fall over,” Dex says with a barely-there kiss to his temple, Keefe laughs.

“My Knight,” he responds, and it’s only half a joke now. He presses closer to Dex’s side.

“If I’m your knight, then you’re my prince.” Dex whispers then kisses the tip of his ear which goes red to match Keefe’s blush.

“New rule, you’re not allowed to be smooth at night.” Keefe decides after a moment, disentangling himself and taking Dex by the hand, “I’m far too tired to flirt back.”

Dex has to agree, it’s incredibly late and exhaustion is beginning to return.

“Fine, how about a good night kiss then?” It seems like a fair trade.

“I think you mean a ‘Good Knight’ kiss.” Keefe winks, then he kisses away Dex’s groan.

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on tumblr for more fics! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/everyonehasthoughts


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